DAVID Farnell — the WA man at the centre of the baby Gammy scandal — is a “good man” and “a wonderful father” as he tries to put his child sex convictions behind him.

Mr Farnell’s daughter flew into Perth yesterday and told Nine News Perth that the family, at some stage, intended to publically explain why baby Gammy way left behind.

“The only thing that we are going to say right now is that my father is a wonderful father,” she said. “We are talking, just not right now.”

New details have emerged about Mr Farnell, who with his wife Wendy stands accused of abandoning seven-month-old Gammy to his Thai surrogate mother when the couple found out the baby boy had Down syndrome and heart disease.

— Mr Farnell’s friend of 20 years, father-of-four and retired butcher who only wanted to be known as Eugene, spoke to PerthNow to say his mate was a “good man” who would never abandon a baby and who was sorry for the sex charges in his past.

— WA’s Department for Child Protection confirmed it had made contact with the Farnells after three days of trying to speak to the couple as part of its investigation into whether Gammy’s twin sister is safe in their custody.

— Mr Farnell’s son also spoke out, saying his father was innocent of the claims he abandoned Gammy and that he stood by his dad — who he described as an “amazing man” who “brought the best out of us kids”, despite the historic sex charges.

The case has polarised the seaside town on Bunbury, 200km south of Perth, but the Farnells themselves are yet to speak publicly about the baby Gammy saga.

Authorities are also remaining tight-lipped about their investigation.

But Eugene said Mr Farnell and his wife would never have abandoned Gammy, and he said the convicted paedophile was reformed and would never harm another child.

He said his friend was known in South Bunbury and for years had organised Christmas parties for families and children at a local park, rigging up festive lights with his electrical skills.

The retired butcher also said Mr Farnell has personally doorknocked the street following his indecent dealing convictions to assure worried parents he had not touched their children.

“My daughter used to go over there and play with his son and nothing ever happened. When he got convicted he knocked on the door and said, ‘I’ve been charged but I never touched your daughter’,” he said.

“He did that with the whole street.

“He regretted what he’d done and all that’s in the past now. He deserves another chance.”

He said Mr Farnell’s younger Chinese wife was very keen to a be a mother and would have loved Gammy and his sister, healthy or otherwise.

“I know his wife and she was pushing for a baby. She was very keen to be a mother. They would have loved that baby no matter what,” he said.

The Thai surrogate, Pattharamon Janbua, has accused the Bunbury couple of asking her to abort Gammy when his health problems were discovered.